Casting wheel apparatus



1957 R.-R|CHARDS ETAL ,351,126

CASTING WHEEL APPARATUS Filed Sept. 25, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 \NVEN ToEs' 22 E. EWCHAEDS A.M.WAGNEE G.C.WAED

ATTOENEY 1967 R. RICHARDS ETAL 3,351,126

CASTING WHEEL APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 25, 1964 mm mm 1967 R. RICHARDS ETAL CASTING WHEEL APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 25, 1964 SERVO MOTOR MOTOR TACH.

R E .T E m m T ml T O D. a n. E Am 5 a E T E M w T 5 N E T O 5 P I MOTOR United States Patent 3,351,126 CASTING WHEEL APPARATUS Roy Richards, Carrollton, Ga, Arthur M. Wagner, Clarendon Hills, EL, and George C. Ward. Carrollton, Ga; said Wagner assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York, and said Richards and said Ward assignors to Southwire Company Incorporated, Carrollton, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Filed Sept. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 399,145 8 Claims. (164-478) This invention relates to continuous metal casting apparatus, and more particularly to casting wheel apparatus for continuously casting molten metal into a continuous bar. It is an object of this invention to provide new and improved apparatus of this character.

In the manufacture of copper wire for communication purposes, it is standard practice to cast molten copper into rectangular shapes known as Wire bars," each bar being approximately 4" x 4" in cross section and 54" long, and having tapered ends which facilitate entry of the bar into a rolling mill. Subsequently, each bar is reheated in a furnace and passed through the rolling mill, which reduces the bar to copper rod having a preselected diameter in the range of of an inch. As the copper rod leaves the rolling mill it is formed into a coil, which is subjected to a pickling operation to remove copper oxide scale, passed through a water wash to remove the pickling solution, and coated in a suitable manner so that the rod will maintain a bright color. Finally, the coils of copper rod are butt welded together at their ends and drawn down into wire in a continuous wire drawing operation.

While the foregoing procedure for manufacturing copper wire has been in use for many years, it has many inherent disadvantages. For example, during the casting and rolling operations, a considerable amount of copper oxide scale tends to form on the surface of the copper, thereby requiring that the above-mentioned pickling operation be relatively extensive in nature. Further, the bar casting operation is such that there are numerous opportunities for extraneous inclusions and other impurities to become introduced into the copper, thereby increasing the incidence of wire breaks during the wire drawing operation. The casting operation also requires a considerable amount of water for quenching of the bars, manual inspection of each bar, and extensive handling of the bars in transporting them from the casting operation to the rod rolling operation.

The rod rolling operation .is further disadvantageous in that it requires an expensive bar reheating furnace, and a large investment in bar inventory. Further, because of the size of the bars and the fact that the rolling mill is being repeatedly subjected to high impact as the bars are passed therethrough, the rolling mill must be relatively large and heavy in construction. It also has been found that defects generally are introduced into the end portions of the copper rod during the rolling operation, as a result of lapping, twisting, knotting or slivering, and therefore, it is necessary to cut off the end portions of the rod coils prior to the wire drawing operation, which produces scrap and adds to labor costs. In addition, since the coils of rod are of relatively short length, the amount of butt welding of the ends of the rod coils together that is required is considerable, this being undesirable not only because of the labor involved, but because the butt welded joints are one of the principal causes of wire breaks during the wire drawing operation.

Accordingly, in attempts to eliminate these disadvantages, numerous processes and apparatus have been proposed for the continuous casting of molten copper directly 3,351,126 Patented Nov. 7, 1967 'ice into a continuous bar. One such apparatus utilizes a water cooled casting wheel mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis and including a peripheral groove in which the bar is cast, and from which groove the continuous cast bar proceeds upward above the wheel in an arcuate path and then directly to a rolling mill which reduces it to copper rod. However, while casting wheel apparatus of this type has been used successfully in the past in the continuous casting and rolling of metals such as aluminum and zinc, it has not previously been used successfully for the manufacture of copper bar suitable for wire drawing and has been considered by the majority of the copper industry to be impractical for this purpose for various reasons.

Prior known casting wheel apparatus have not been successful for the continuous casting and rolling of copper bar for wire drawing because the cast bar tends to break off adjacent the bar exit point of the casting wheel. Fur ther, the cast bar tends to be non-uniform in grain structure and hardness, and the inner side of the bar which was adjacent the casting wheel tends to tear or crack during the rolling operation, which conditions produce defects which cause wire breaks during the wire drawing operation.

The breaking of the continuous cast copper bar as it exits from the casting wheel has been found by applicants to be due in part to the fact that the bar, which must exit from the wheel at a relatively high temperature so as to be at an optimum rolling temperature upon reaching the rolling mill, is so fragile that it cannot support its own weight. Further, this condition is aggravated by the fact that the advancing bar tends to oscillate laterally toward and away from the casting wheel during the initial portion of its travel from the wheel to the rolling mill. Another factor which contributes to this problem is that the bar shrinks as it is cooled in the casting wheel groove and alternately moves into and out of contact with the groove to create air gaps between the bar and the groove. These air gaps retard heat transfer between the bar and the water cooled casting wheel whereby portions of the bar have not been cooled sufiiciently by the time they exit from the wheel.

Applicants also have discovered that the oscillation of the bar, whereby it does not always leave the casting wheel at the same point, and the shrinkage of the bar, whereby it alternately moves into and out of contact with the casting wheel groove, produces non-uniform cooling of the bar and the formation of cold fronts therein, and thus is responsible, at least in part, for the abovementioned non-uniform grain structure and hardness in the bar, and as a result of portions of the bar entering the rolling mill at too low a temperature, the above-mentioned tearing of the bar in the rolling mill.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide new and improved casting wheel apparatus for the continuous casting of molten copper in the form of a continuous bar.

Another object of this invention is to provide new and improved casting wheel apparatus for the continuous casting of molten copper in the form of a continuous bar, in which the cast bar is positively advanced from a casting wheel to a rolling mill along a substantially uniform path, whereby breaking of the bar adjacent the point at which it exits from the casting wheel is substantially reduced.

A further object of this invention is to provide new and improved casting wheel apparatus for the continuous casting of molten copper in the form of a continuous bar, in which the cast bar is maintained in firm contact with a casting wheel until the bar is stripped from the wheel at a preselected point.

A still further object of this invention is to provide new and improved casting wheel apparatus for the continuous casting of molten metal in the form of a continuous bar, in which the cast bar is positively advanced from a casting wheel along a substantially uniform path.

Another object of this invention is to provide new and improved casting wheel apparatus for the continuous casting of molten metal in the form of a continuous bar, in which the cast bar always exits from a casting wheel at a preselected point.

In accordance with the invention, apparatus for the continuous casting of a molten metal, such as copper, into a continuous bar, includes a rotatable casting wheel, a continuous movable band engaged about a portion of the periphery of the wheel and cooperable with a portion of a peripheral groove therein to define a cavity in which the bar is cast, and a mechanism for stripping the cast bar from the wheel at a preselected point. A power driven conveying mechanism positively advances the stripped bar from the stripping mechanism along a uniform path and, in addition, applies longitudinal tension to the cast bar to hold it firmly engaged with the bottom of the groove in the casting wheel until the bar is stripped from the wheel at the preselected point by the stripping mechanism.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, apparatus for the continuous casting of molten copper into a continuous bar includes a casting wheel rotatable about a horizontal axis, a continuous movable band engaged about a portion of the periphery of the wheel and cooperable with a portion of a peripheral groove therein to define a cavity in which the bar is cast, a mechanism for stripping the cast bar from the wheel at a preselected point, and a power driven conveyor which positively advances the cast bar from the casting wheel, and which cooperates with the stripping mechanism to insure that the bar advances along a uniform path and always exits from the wheel at the preselected point. More specifically, the bar conveyor includes a plurality of power driven grooved rollers which receive and support the cast bar for movement in a uniform arcuate path extending upward from the stripping mechanism above the upper level of the casting wheel and in the general direction of the curvature of the wheel. The bar is forced into firm engagement with at least some of the grooved rollers by pressure rollers, which are movable away from the grooved rollers to permit initial threading of the cast bar therein. The aforementioned function of the conveyor is achieved by having the speed of a drive mechanism for the grooved rollers synchronized with the speed of a drive mechanism for the casting wheel and the band such that the driven grooved rollers not only positively advance the cast bar from the casting wheel, but in addition apply sufiicient longitudinal tension to the bar to hold it firmly engaged with the bottom of the groove in the casting wheel until the bar is stripped from the wheel at the preselected point by the stripping mechanism. The conveyor also is swingable about a vertical axis to an inoperative position in which it is spaced substantially from the casting wheel, the band and the stripping mechanism.

This invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross'sectional view of the apparatus taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view of the apparatus as seen substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged partial view of the apparatus as seen along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial elevational view of the apparatus as seen along the line 55 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a drive motor control system for the apparatus.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, it is seen that the illustrated embodiment of the invention relates to the manufacture of an elongated continuous bar 11 of a metal, such as copper. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the bar 11 is continuously cast from molten copper in a casting wheel 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2), is stripped from the wheel in solidified form by a stripping mechanism 13, and then is advanced by a power conveyor 14 upward in a uniform arcuate path and to the right, as viewed in FIG. 1, to a rolling mill (not shown) which reduces the bar to copper rod suitable for wire drawing. Subsequently, the copper rod is drawn into wire in a continuous Wire drawing operation.

The casting wheel 12, which is of the general type disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,710,433 to I. Properzi and which is supported for rotation about a horizontal axis on a base member 16, is formed of a suitable metal, such as copper, and is provided with a peripheral groove 17, which may be coated, as with chromium, to reduce the tendency for the metal to seize to the casting wheel. As is best shown in FIG. 1, a continuous band 18 of a suitable metal, such as steel, extends around one half of the periphery of the casting wheel 12 and around one half of the periphery of an idler wheel 19 rotatably mounted adjacent the upper end of a vertically extending standard 21 in radially spaced relationship with respect to the casting wheel, the lower end of the standard being supported on the base member 16. The idler wheel 19 is tensioned away from the casting wheel 12 in a suitable manner so as to hold the metal band 18 tightly against the periphery of the wheel to form a tight seal adjacent the opposite sides of the peripheral groove 17, whereby the band cooperates with the groove to form a casting cavity in which the bar 11 is cast. Preferably, the base member 16 is supported on the fioor of a pit 22 so as to reduce the difference in height between the point at which the cast bar 11 exits from the conveyor 14 and at which it enters the above-mentioned rolling mill which is supported on a main floor 23, thereby facilitating movement of the bar from the conveyor to the rolling mill.

During a casting operation, the casting wheel 12 is rotated clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 1, by a motor 24 connected to the wheel through a speed reducing mechaism 26 and a sprocket and chain drive 27, with the friction between the casting wheel and the metal band 18 being such that the band moves in unison with the casting wheel. As the casting wheel 12 and the band 18 move, they are water cooled in a suitable manner, not shown. The motor 24 and the speed reducing mechanism 26, as in the case of the base member 16, are supported on the floor of the pit 22.

The molten copper, which is refined in a suitable furnace so as to have a lead content of less than 002%, as is described in the copending U.S. patent application of J. A. Bell, D. B. Cofer and G. E. Sorber, Serial No. 399,145, filed September 25, 1964, and assigned to the same assignees, is fed from the furnace to a pour pot 28 on the base member 16 through a heated trough 29. Referring to the right-hand side of the casting wheel 12, as viewed in FIG. 1, the molten copper then flows from the pour pot 28 and through a pouring spout 31 removably mounted thereon, into the casting cavity defined by the peripheral groove 17 in the wheel and the movable band 18, with the flow from the pour pot being metered in a suitable manner so as to maintain a substantially constant level of molten copper in the cavity.

As the casting wheel 12 and the movable band 18 are driven by the drive mechanism 24, 26, 27, the molten copper introduced into the peripheral wheel groove 17 moves in unison with the wheel and the band. Referring to the left-hand side of the casting wheel 12, as viewed in FIG. 1, by the time the wheel has completed one half of a revolution and reached the point at which the band 18 leaves the wheel, the molten copper will have been cooled into the form of the continuous bar 11. Subsequently, as the casting wheel 12 continues to rotate, the bar 11, which is being held in firm engagement in the wheel groove 17 by the conveyor 14 in a manner to be described, is stripped from the groove by the stripping mechanism 13.

The stripping mechanism 13 includes an elongated blade 32, the lower end portion of which extends into the peripheral groove 17 of the casting wheel 12 into engagement with the bottom of the groove for the stripping of the cast bar 11 therefrom. The upper portion of the blade 32 is secured between a pair of spaced vertical plate members 33 (FIGS. 1 and 2) which are integrally connected together by being welded to spacer members therebetween. Upper and lower bar support rollers 34 and 36 are mounted for rotation between the plate members 33 on shafts having their opposite ends force-fitted into apertures in the plate members.

The interconnected plate members 33 carrying the stripping blade 32 and the bar support rollers 34 and 36 are bolted or otherwise removably secured to an upright support member 37. A bar guide roller 38, for guiding the leading end of the cast bar 11 into the bar conveyor 14 at the beginning of a casting operation, also is removably mounted on the support member 37 for adjustable movement toward and away from the upper bar support roller 34, as by having its support shaft projecting through and releasably secured in an elongated slot (not shown) in the support member. The lower end of the support member 37 is welded or otherwise suitably secured to a dove-tailed member 39 (FIG. 1) removably mounted in a correspondingly grooved plate member 41 secured to the top of the base member 16.

As is best seen in FIG. 2, the bar conveyor 14, when in operating position, extends obliquely with respect to the plane of rotation of the casting wheel 12 in order to provide clearance between the conveyor and the movable band 18. Accordingly, as the cast bar 11 is stripped from the casting wheel 12 by the stripping mechanism 13, it is necessary that the bar be deflected out of the plane of rotation of the wheel in order for the bar to enter the conveyor 14, and for this purpose the stripping mechanism 13 includes a deflector assembly 42 formed of suitable plate members welded to one another and welded to the upright support member 37, for deflecting and guiding the cast bar 11 into the conveyors bar entrance end. Further, as is illustrated in FIG. 2, the bar support rollers 34 and 36 are canted in the direction that the bar is to be deflected, to facilitate the deflecting of the bar by the deflector assembly 42.

The cast bar 11 is supported for movement on the bar conveyor 14 in a plurality of power driven V-grooved rollers 43 mounted between a pair of arcuate side plate members 44 of a conveyor frame, the rollers being keyed to rotatable shafts 46 (best shown in FIG. 4) journalled adjacent their opposite ends in suitable bearing assemblies 47 mounted on the side plate members. Adjacent the upper or bar exit end of the conveyor 14, a pair of laterally spaced idler rollers 48 (FIGS. 1 and 5), for limiting lateral movement of the bar 11, are supported for rotation on the upper portions of a pair of vertical shafts secured at their lower ends in brackets on the side plate members 44. The bottoms of the side plate members 44 adjacent the bar exit end of the conveyor 14 are secured, as by welding, to a relatively large, horizontally disposed support plate 49. Additional transverse connecting members 51, one of which is shown in FIG. 4, may be provided for connecting the bottoms of. the side plate members 44 as desired.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, it is seen that the cast bar 11 is maintained in firm engagement with a plurality of the grooved rollers 43 adjacent the lower or bar entrance end of the conveyor 14 by associated pinch or pressure rollers 52. As is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, each pressure roller 52 is mounted on a double-armed lever member 53 by being journalled for rotation on a shaft carried by one end of an arm 54 of the lever member. The other end of the arm 54 of each lever member 53 is integral with a cylindrical portion 56 of the lever member, by means of which the lever member is pivoted on a support shaft having one end thereof secured to the adjacent conveyor frame side plate member 44.

A second arm 57 of each of the double-armed lever members 53 has one end thereof integral with the cylindrical portion 56 of the lever member and its other end pivotally connected to a piston rod of an air cylinder 58, as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Each air cylinder 58 is of a double-acting type in which air may be introduced into either end of the cylinder for moving its piston rod in opposite directions, and the lower end of the cylinder is pivotally mounted on an angle member 59 (FIG. 4) hav ing one leg thereof secured to a depending bracket 44:! on the adjacent conveyor frame side plate member 44, Thus, upon introduction of air into the lower ends of the air cylinders 58, the pressure rollers 52 can be moved away from their associated grooved rollers'43 into the broken lines positions shown in FIG. 1, to permit initial threading of the cast bar 11 in the grooved rollers, and subsequently, by introduction of air into the upper ends of the air cylinders the pressure rollers can be moved toward the grooved rollers into the solid line positions shown in FIG. 1 to engage the cast bar and to force the bar into firm engagement with the grooved rollers.

The grooved rollers 43 are driven by a mechanism including a motor 61 (FIGS. 3 and 5) supported upon a horizontally extending extension of the support plate member 49. As is best shown in FIG. 3, the motor 61 includes a drive shaft having a drive sprocket 62 keyed thereto and connected by an endless chain 63 to a sprocket 64 which is keyed to the grooved roller support shaft 46 nearest the bar exit end of the conveyor 14, adjacent one end of the shaft. Adjacent the opposite end of the roller support shaft 46 a drive sprocket 66 is keyed to the shaft for rotation therewith and is drivingly connected by an endless chain 67 to a first sprocket 68 keyed to the next adjacent roller support shaft 46. Similarly, as in the case of the first roller support shaft 46, the last-mentioned roller support shaft 46 has a drive sprocket 69 keyed thereto and drivingly connected by an endless chain 71 to a first sprocket 68 (not shown) on its next adjacent roller support shaft 46. Referring further to FIG. 2, it is seen that each succeeding grooved roller support shaft 46 is driven from its associated preceding roller support shaft 46 in a similar manner by associated sprockets 68 and 69 and endless chains 71.

As the relatively heavy cast copper bar 11 exits from the casting wheel 12, at which point it is at a relatively high temperature and therefore quite fragile, any tendency for the bar to break ofi? by reason of its inability to support its own weight is substantially reduced by operating the conveyor drive motor 61 at a speed relative to the speed of the casting wheel drive motor 24 such that the grooved rollers 43 positively advance the bar from the casting wheel toward the above-mentioned rolling mill. Further, the driving force of the grooved rollers 43 is such that they apply sufiicient longitudinal tension on the cast bar 11 to hold it firmly engaged with the bottom of the casting wheel groove 17, despite shrinkage of the bar as it is cooled in the groove, until the bar is stripped from the wheel by the stripping blade 32 of the stripping mechanism 13, and to hold the bar firmly engaged over the bar support roilers 34 and 36 of the stripping mechanism. Thus, the stripping mechanism 13 and the conveyor 14 cooperate to insure that the cast bar 11 travels in firm contact with the bottom of the casting wheel groove 17 and in a uniform path from the casting wheel 12, whereby breaking off of the bar adjacent the wheel as a result of the bar exiting from the wheel at too high a temperature, or as a result of oscillation of the bar laterally toward and away from the wheel, also is substantially reduced, In addition, since the cast bar 11 is maintained in firm contact with the bottom of the groove 17 and always exits from the casting wheel 12 at the same point, non-uniform cooling of the bar and the formation of cold fronts therein is substantially reduced, thereby reducing non-uniformity in the grain structure and hardness of the bar, and tearing off of the bar in the rolling mill as a result of portions of thebar entering the rolling mill at too low a temperature, which conditions produce defects which cause wire breaks during the above-mentioned wire drawing operation.

Control of the speed of the conveyor drive motor 61 relative to that of the casting wheel drive motor 24 may be accomplished either manually, as by a potentiometer in the operating circuit for the conveyor drive motor, or automatically in a suitable manner, as is illustrated by the block diagram in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, both of the drive motors 24 and 61 are shown as being of a variable speed A.C. type connected to an AC. power source 72 through associated control potentiometers 73 and 74. The casting wheel drive motor 24 drives a tachometer generator 76, which feeds a signal voltage to a servo-mechanism 77. The servo-mechanism 77 is drivingly connected to the control potentiometer 74 for the conveyor drive motor 61 and is designed, in response to the voltage signal from the tachometer generator 76, to vary the potentiometer so as to vary the speed of the conveyor drive motor relative to the casting wheel motor 24 such that the conveyor 14 will operate as described in the preceding paragraph. Accordingly, upon manual adjustment of the control potentiometer 73 for the casting wheel drive motor 24 so that the motor will operate at a preselected desired speed, the speed of the conveyor drive motor 61 is automatically synchronized with that of the motor 24.

As is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the bar conveyor 14 is supported on a rotatable vertical post 78 so that the conveyor can be rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, from its operative position shown in the drawings in which position the bar entrance end of the conveyor is closely adjacent the stripping mechanism 13, into a position in which the conveyor is spaced substantially from the casting wheel 12, the movable band 18 and the stripping mechanism for maintenance purposes. The connection of the conveyor 14 to the vertical post 78, adjacent the bar exit end of the conveyor, includes a pair of laterally spaced parallel angle bars 79 secured to the bottom of the support plate 49. A horizontally extending pivot pin 81 is insertable through a selected pair of axially aligned apertures 82 in depending legs of the angle bars 79 and axially aligned apertures in a pair of horizontally spaced plate members 83 (FIG. 5) secured along their bottoms to a top plate member of the post 78, a plurality of pairs of the apertures 82 being provided in the angle bars 79 to permit adjustment of the conveyor 14 horizontally. Similarly, an adjustable screw-threaded link 84 (FIG. 1) is pivotally connected at one end to the frame of the conveyor 14 and at its other end to the rotatable post 78, to permit variations in the degree of inclination of the conveyor.

The lower portion of the rotatable post 78 is telescopingly received in a fixed hollow post 86 for rotation and for vertical linear movement, and the rotatable post is secured in the position shown in FIG. 1 by a locking pin 87 extendable through. axially aligned apertures in the fixed post and a selected pair of axially aligned vertical adjustment apertures in the rotatable post. The lower interior portion of the fixed post 86 is provided with a cylindrical stop element 88 for limiting the extent of downward movement of the rotatable post 78, and the lower end of the fixed post is suitably secured to the floor of the pit 22, with the fixed post adjacent its upper end being secured to a vertical side wall of the pit by a stud and bracket connection.

In operation, with the bar conveyor 14 swung into and locked in its operative position as shown in the drawings, and with the pressure rollers 52 of the conveyor in spaced relationship with respect to the grooved rollers 43, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, the casting wheel and conveyor drive motors 24 and 61 are energized, as by the closing of a suitable control switch in the operating circuit thereof, and the control potentiometer 73 for the casting wheel drive motor is adjusted manually so that the motor drives the casting wheel12 at a preselected desired speed. The speed of the conveyor drive motor 61, through the tachometer 76 (FIG. 6), the servo-mechanism 77 and the control potentiometer 74, then is automatically synchronized with the speed of the casting wheel drive motor 24 so that the conveyor 14 (1) will positively advance the cast bar 11 from the casting wheel 12 toward the rolling mill (not shown), and (2) will apply longitudinal tension to the bar so as to hold it in firm engagement with the bar support rollers 34 and 36, and firmly engaged in the bottom of the casting wheel groove 17 until it is stripped from the groove by the stripping blade 32. Thus, the cast bar 11 always will exit from the casting wheel 12 at the same point and will travel in a uniformpath from the casting wheel to the rolling mill during the 1 critical initial portion of its movement.

Molten copper then is fed from the above-mentioned refining furnace through the heated trough 29 (FIG. 1) into the pour pot 28, from which it is metered through the spout 31 into the casting cavity (right-hand side of FIG. 1) defined by the peripheral groove 17 in the casting wheel 12 and the continuous movable band 18, such that the level of molten material in the cavity always is substantially constant. Subsequently, the casting wheel 12, the molten copper, and the movable band 18, which is biased into tight engagement with the casting wheel by the tensioned idler wheel 19, move in unison as the casting wheel is rotated by the drive mechanism 24, 26, 27. By the time the casting wheel 12 has completed one half of a revolution (left-hand side of FIG. 1) the copper has been cooled sufiiciently so that it has attained the form of the continuous cast bar 11,-which then is stripped from the groove 17 of the casting wheel by the stripping blade 32 of the stripping mechanism 13.

The leading end of the cast bar 11 then is threaded through the power driven grooved rollers 43 of the bar conveyor 14, this threading operation being facilitated by the guide roller 38 on the support member 37, and also by the bar deflector assembly 42 and the canted bar support rollers 34 and 36, which assembly and rollers subsequently continue to guide the advancing bar into the bar entrance end of the conveyor. The air cylinders 58 then are actuated to pivot the double-armed lever members 53 and the pressure rollers 52 thereon counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 1, to move the pressure rollers into engagement with the cast bar 11 such that the pressure rollers force the bar into firm engagement with the grooved rollers 43, whereby the conveyor 14 functions as abovedescribed to 'hold the bar firmly engaged in the groove of the casting wheel 12 until the bar is stripped therefrom by the stripping blade 32, and to advance the bar to the rolling mill which reduces the bar to copper rod suitable for wire drawing.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, many modifications will be apparent and it is intended that the invention be interpreted as including all modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for the continuous casting of molten metal into a continuous bar, which comprises:

a casting wheel mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and having a peripheral groove therein;

a continuous movable band engaged about a portion of the periphery of the wheel and cooperable with a portion of the groove to define a cavity in which the bar is cast;

means for stripping the cast bar from the groove at a preselected point;

a frame having a part thereof closely adjacent said stripping means;

grooved rollers on said frame for receiving the cast bar and for supporting the bar for movement along a uniform arcuate path extending upward from said stripping means above the upper level of said casting wheel and in the general direction of the curvature of said wheel;

pressure rollers mounted on said frame;

means for moving said pressure rollers away from said grooved rollers to permit initial threading of the cast bar in said grooved rollers, and for moving said pressure rollers into engagement with the cast bar to force the bar into firm engagement with at least some of said grooved rollers;

first drive means for driving said casting wheel and said band; and

second drive means on said frame for driving at least some of said grooved rollers so that said driven grooved rollers positively advance the cast bar from said casting wheel along the uniform arcuate path defined by said grooved rollers, and so that said driven grooved rollers apply longitudinal tension to the cast bar to hold the bar firmly engaged with the bottom of the groove in said casting wheel until the bar is stripped from the groove at the preselected point by said stripping means.

2. Apparatus for the continuous casting of molten copper into a continuous bar, which comprises:

a casting wheel mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and having a peripheral groove therein;

a continuous movable band engaged about a portion of the'periphcry of said casting Wheel and cooperable with a portion of the groove in said wheel to define a cavity in which the bar is cast;

means for stripping the cast bar from the groove in said casting wheel at a preselected point;

a pivoted frame swingable about a substantially vertical axis into substantially spaced relationship with respect to said Wheel, said band, and said stripping means, and swingable so that said frame extends obliquely to the plane of rotation of said casting wheel with a part of said frame closely adjacent said stripping means;

grooved rollers on said frame for receiving the cast bar and for supporting the bar for movement along a uniform arcuate path extending upward from said stripping means above the upper level of said casting wheel and in the general direction of the curvature of said wheel;

means for guiding the cast bar into said grooved rollers and including means for deflecting the cast bar out of the plane of rotation of said casting wheel;

lever members pivoted on said frame;

pressure rollers mounted on said lever members;

pneumatic means for pivoting said lever members to move said presure rollers away from said grooved rollers to permit initial threading of the cast bar in said grooved rollers, and to move said pressure rollers into engagement with the cast bar to force the bar into firm engagement with at least some of said grooved rollers;

first drive means for driving said casting wheel and said band;

second drive means on said frame for driving at least some of said grooved rollers; and

means for synchronizing the speed of said second drive means with the speed of said first drive means so that said driven grooved rollers positively advance the cast bar from said casting wheel along the uniform arcuate path defined by said grooved rollers, and so that said driven grooved rollers apply longitudinal tension to the cast bar, to hold the bar firmly engaged with the bottom of the groove in said casting wheel until the bar is stripped from the groove at the preselected point by said stripping means.

3. Apparatus for the continuous casting of molten copper into a continuous bar, which comprises:

a rotatable casting wheel mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and having a peripheral groove therein, the groove having a substantially smooth continuous bottom and sides;

a continuous band engaged about a portion of the periphery of said casting wheel and movable with said casting wheele, said band being cooperable with a portion of the groove in said casting wheel to define a cavity into which the molten copper is introduced and in which the molten copper cools to a solidified state to form the continuous bar;

stripping means for causing the bar to exit from the groove in said casting wheel at a preselected point;

power driven conveyor means extending from a point closely adjacent said stripping means and upward along a uniform arcuate path above the upper level of said casting Wheel and in the general direction of the curvature of said wheel, for limiting lateral movement of the bar after the bar has advanced beyond said stripping means; and

means, including said stripping means and said conveyor means, for controlling the advancement of the continuous bar so that the solidified portion of the bar which is in the groove of said casting Wheel travels in a uniform path in the groove in said casting wheel until the bar exits from the groove at the preselected point, to facilitate uniform cooling of the bar.

4. Apparatus for the continuous casting of molten copper into a continuous bar, as recited in claim 3, in which ,said conveyor means applies longitudinal tension to the continuous bar to hold the solidified portion of the bar which is in the groove of said casting wheel firmly and continuously engaged with the bottom of the groove until the bar begins to exit from the groove at the preselected point, whereby the solidified portion of the bar which is in the groove of said casting wheel travels in a uniform path in firm and continuous engagement with the bottom of the groove, to facilitate uniform cooling of the bar.

5. Apparatus for the continuous casting of molten metal into a continuous bar, which comprises:

a casting wheel mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and having a peripheral groove therein, the groove having a substantially smooth continuous bottom and sides;

a continuous band engaged about a portion of the periphery of said casting wheel and movable with said casting wheel, said band being cooperable with a portion of the groove in said casting wheel to define a cavity in which the molten metal is cast and in which the molten metal cools to a solidified state to form the continuous bar;

stripping means for causing the bar to exit from the groove in said casting Wheel at a preselected point;

first bar engaging means extending closely adjacent said stripping means, for supporting the continuous bar for movement along a uniform arcuate path extending upward from said stripping means above the upper level of said casting wheel and in the general direction of the curvature of said wheel; and

second bar engaging means movable away from said first bar engaging means to permit initial threading of the continuous bar between said first and second bar engaging means, and movable into engagement with the bar for forcing the bar into firm engagement with said first bar engaging means whereby said first and second bar engaging means preclude any substantial oscillation of the bar laterally during at least the initial portion of the movement of g 3,351,126 11 a a 12 7 the bar from said stripping means, at least one of along the uniform arcuate path and second roller means said bar engaging means being power driven to adforforcing the bar into firm engagement with said grooved vance the bar positively from said stripping means roller means, said second roller means being movable along the uniform arcuate path, and to apply lonaway from said grooved roller means to permit initial gitudinal tension to the bar to hold the solidified threading of the bar in said grooved roller means, and portion of the bar which is in the groove of said at least a portion of one of said roller means being power casting wheel firmly and continuously engaged with driven. the bottom of the groove until the bar begins to exit 8. Apparatus for the continuous casting of molten from the groove at the preselected point, to facilitate metal into a continuous bar, as recited in claim 6, which uniform cooling of the bar. further comprises: 6. Apparatus for the continuous casting of molten first drive means for driving said casting wheel and metal into a continuous bar, which comprises: said band;

a casting wheel mounted for rotation about a substausecond drive means for driving said power driven contially horizontal axis and having a peripheral groove veyor means; and therein, the groove having a substantially smooth 15 means for synchronizing the speed of said second drive continuous bottom and sides;

a continuous band engaged about a portion of the periphery of said casting wheel and movable with said casting wheel, said band being cooperable with a means with the speed of said first drive means so that said power driven conveyor means positively advances the continuous bar along the uniform arcuate path, and so that said power driven conveyor portion of the groove in said casting wheel to demeans applies longitudinal tension to the bar to hold fine a cavity into which the molten metal is introthe solidified portion of the bar which is in the groove duced and in which the molten metal cools to a of said casting wheel firmly and continuously ensolidified state to form the continuous bar; gaged with the bottom of the groove until the bar stripping means for causing the bar to exit from the begins to exit from the groove at the preselected groove in said casting wheel at a preselected point; point, to facilitate uniform cooling of the bar.

and

power driven conveyor means extending closely adjacent said stripping means for supporting and positively advancing the continuous bar along a uniform References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS arcuate path extending upward from said stripping d 7' 12 means above the upper level of said casting wheel Over 1,220,211 3/1917 Feldkamp et a1. 164278 and m the general direction of the curvature of send 7 1,319,674 10/1919 Stephenson 164-263 wheel, and for applying longitudinal tension to the 4 1,651,678 12/1927 Davis 164-278 bar to hold the solidified portion of the bar WillCh 2,710,433 6/1955 Properzr 164-278 is m the groove in sand casting wheel firmly and con- 2,838,814 6/1958 Brennan l64-51 tlnuously engaged with the bottom of the groove 2,864,137 12/1958 Brennan 164-46 until the bar begins to exit from the groove at the 3 183 563 5/1965 16[ 250 preselected point, to facilitate uniform cooling of the V m "f'f'f bar, said conveyor means including means for pre- FOREIGN PATENTS cluding any substantial oscillation of the bar later- 40 125 883 6/1923 Switzerland. ally during at least the initial portion of the advance- 490 7/1953 Great Britain. ment of the bar by said conveyor means. 716:O69 9 /1954 Great Britam 7. Apparatus for the continuous casting of molten metal into a continuous bar, as recited in claim 6, in which said power driven conveyor means includes grooved first roller means for supporting the bar for movement I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

R. S. ANNEAR, Assistant Examiner; 

3. APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS CASTING OF MOLTEN COPPER INTO A CONTINUOUS BAR, WHICH COMPRISES: A ROTATABLE CASTING WHEEL MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL GROOVE THEREIN, THE GROOVE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH CONTINUOUS BOTTOM AND SIDES; A CONTINUOUS BAND ENGAGED ABOUT A PORTION OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CASTING WHEEL AND MOVABLE WITH SAID CASTING WHEELE, SAID BAND BEING COOPERABLE WITH A PORTION OF THE GROOVE IN SAID CASTING WHEEL TO DEFINE A CAVITY INTO WHICH THE MOLTEN COPPER IS INTRODUCED AND IN WHICH THE MOLTEN COPPER COOLS TO A SOLIDIFIED STATE TO FORM THE CONTINUOUS BAR; STRIPPING MEANS FOR CAUSING THE BAR TO EXIT FROM THE GROOVE IN SAID CASTING WHEEL AT A PRESELECTED POINT; 